Reading Eagle: Bill Uhrich |
A rescue boat begins its search in Douglass Township Thursday evening for a vehicle with a pregnant woman and her son that floated away during flash flooding. The vehicle was found later in the evening, and the Berks coroner was called to the scene.

Photo courtesy of John Henry |
The westbound lanes of the Ben Franklin Highway (Route 422) in Amity Township flooded on Thursday afternoon after torrential downpours hit the area.

Reading Eagle: Bill Uhrich |
Crews launch a rescue boat in search of a vehicle that was swept away by flood waters in Douglass Township. The vehicle was found late Thursday evening and the victims were pronounced dead at the scene.

Reading Eagle: Bill Uhrich |
A rescue boat is brought to Douglass Township to search for a vehicle with a pregnant woman and her child that floated away during the flash flooding.

Reading Eagle: Bill Uhrich |
Emergency crews in Douglass Township, where a vehicle with a pregnant woman and her child floated away during the flash flooding.

Several inches of rain inundated the region Thursday afternoon, causing serious flooding of creeks and shutting down major roadways for hours.

The puddles deepen

Another summer deluge pelted Berks County on Thursday afternoon. The automated equipment at both Reading Regional Airport, the official National Weather Service site in Berks County, and Pottstown-Limerick Airport went offline shortly after 2 p.m. It was not clear as of Thursday evening when good data for those sites would be available.

But here are some measurements:

Hopewell Park recorded 3.96 inches of rain; Boyertown measured 3.46.

Radar estimates showed 4 to 5 inches in the area between New Berlinville and Bally.

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Several inches of rain inundated parts of Berks Thursday afternoon, causing serious flooding of creeks and shutting down major roadways for hours.

Heavy rains started moving through the region after 3 p.m., with the southern and eastern edges of Berks getting hit hardest.

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for what can roughly be called the Route 23 and Route 100 corridors.

Route 222 was closed around 4:30 p.m. in Richmond Township when flooding and downed wires from a utility pole blocked the busy highway at the intersection of Richmond Road. Truck traffic was being diverted at the intersection of Route 73 and at the traffic circle of Moselem Springs Road. The roadway was reopened about an hour later.

The westbound lanes in the 500 block of Ben Franklin Highway (Route 422) were closed at Monocacy Creek Road in Amity Township from flooding. Water had risen to the top of the concrete barrier, pouring over the top like a waterfall, and was up to the windows of at least one disabled vehicle sitting in the westbound lane.

Traffic in the area turned into a nightmare as several secondary roads were closed from flooding, limiting travel routes and forcing vehicles to sit on roadways, turning them into parking lots.

In Union Township, some motorists who had crossed over the Schuylkill River to avoid the closed roadway got stuck in floodwaters as the river overtook parts of Route 724.

A resident on Linden Place in Amity Township had to be rescued around 3:45 p.m. from the second floor of the residence due to first-floor flooding.

Emergency crews reported that a stretch of Route 100 in the area of Walmart in Colebrookdale Township was covered with about three feet of water around 3:50 p.m.

Rising floodwaters reportedly threatened several campers at French Creek State Park in Union Township around 5 p.m. Reports indicated the campers were trapped in the C Loop of the campground, and parts of Park Road were washed away.

At least one person was rescued from a vehicle stuck in flooding in the first block of Toll Gate Road in Amity Township around 6:30 p.m.

Fatal floods

The Berks County Coroner's office was called to the scene of a water rescue along Manatawny Creek in Douglass Township, authorities confirmed late Thursday night.

Reports indicated the vehicle was occupied by a pregnant woman and at least one child, whose vehicle had been pinned against a guard rail on Grist Mill Road, near Locust Road.

Amid darkness, rescuers reached the vehicle and gained access through a sun roof around 9:45 p.m., according to emergency radio dispatches.

A spokesman for the coroner's office confirmed that a unit was on its way to the scene in the vicinity of Manatawny Drive and Colebrookdale Road.

Dangerous conditions prevented rescuers earlier in the evening from getting to the vehicle, and emergency responders indicated it had flipped over and floated down the creek with the three occupants still inside.

A massive rescue effort was staged on the Ironstone and Manatawny creeks as multiple marine units with search boats were dispatched.

Cleanup is going strong this morning at About All Floors on Route 422. Third time this store flooded in last 2 years. Luckily, the store opened it showroom in a new safe location three weeks ago across the street from a Wawa in Amity Township @ReadingEaglepic.twitter.com/BOjUkBAgrU

The puddles deepen

Another summer deluge pelted Berks County on Thursday afternoon. The automated equipment at both Reading Regional Airport, the official National Weather Service site in Berks County, and Pottstown-Limerick Airport went offline shortly after 2 p.m. It was not clear as of Thursday evening when good data for those sites would be available.

But here are some measurements:

Hopewell Park recorded 3.96 inches of rain; Boyertown measured 3.46.

Radar estimates showed 4 to 5 inches in the area between New Berlinville and Bally.